New Case of Hantavirus on Cruise Ship Sparks Concern
A crew member aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship that was previously affected by a hantavirus outbreak, has been hospitalised after testing positive for the virus. The incident occurred just days after the vessel docked in the Netherlands. This new case has raised concerns among health authorities and the public.
The Dutch health authorities confirmed the latest case following the repatriation of the infected crew member from Tenerife, Spain. Passengers and staff from the MV Hondius had disembarked in Tenerife after the outbreak. The ship had previously experienced an outbreak of the Andean virus strain in April, which is the only form of hantavirus known to spread between humans.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the crew member had been in quarantine in the Netherlands since leaving the vessel. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: ‘The Netherlands today confirmed a new case in a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife, was repatriated to the Netherlands and has been in quarantine ever since.’
Dutch public health officials reported that the patient was admitted to the hospital as a precaution and placed in isolation. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said: ‘The Andean virus was detected in a person who was in quarantine in the Netherlands. The patient has since been admitted to the hospital as a precaution and is in isolation.’
This latest development brings the total number of suspected and confirmed cases linked to the outbreak to 12, including three deaths. 
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that no further deaths have been reported since May 2, when the WHO was first notified of the outbreak. More than 600 contacts across multiple countries are still being monitored, with health officials continuing to trace a small number of high-risk cases.
Survivor’s Experience with Hantavirus
The situation has also brought attention to the long-term effects of hantavirus. A survivor of the disease shared her story, highlighting the severe impact the illness can have on a person’s life. Jennifer Benewiat, 43, told the Daily Mail that she experienced ICU psychosis and had to relearn basic daily tasks after contracting hantavirus nearly 16 years ago.
Benewiat, a mother of three from Kansas, contracted the illness in December 2010 during the Christmas season. After driving home from Hutchinson to Wichita, she passed out on her doorstep, which led to her hospitalisation. Doctors told her she might not survive the illness.
She was placed on a ventilator for 10 days, resulting in her body being paralyzed from the neck down. Benewiat does not remember anything from those days in the hospital and had to be taught ‘all the things a normal person does in a day’ during her recovery. Hantavirus has a 40 percent fatality rate.
Benewiat expressed concern when she heard about the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has left three people dead and put America on alert as it monitors patients with potential symptoms. She explained that she still feels the effects of hantavirus in her daily life, despite having overcome the illness over a decade ago. ‘I have muscle weakness and numbness and tingling in my extremities,’ she told the Daily Mail.
While she is now able to do everything she did before, she admitted: ‘I just can’t do them as quickly as I used to do. Doing housework and stuff like that, I have to take breaks more often than I used to.’
